The Effectiveness of Irrigation and Cover Cropping to Produce Sustainable Hops

Krista Delahunty & Jason Johnston Westfield, ME

www.aroostookhops.com & facebook

Where is Aroostook Hops?

We now have 4 acres @ 46.5°North

One-acre hopyard established 2009-’10

2012-2013 three-acre expansion

350 certified spruce poles

Setting the poles

“You don’t meet many first generation hops farmers” (For the Love of Hops,

Hieronymus, 2012)

Our thanks to:

• USDA SARE (funding)

• Steve Johnson, UM Cooperative Extension

• Marcus Flewelling, Crop Production Services

• Kate and Larry Fisher

• NEHA

• Rosalie, Heather, the UVM team and collaborators

• Steve Miller et. al.

• Crannog Ales Hops Manual

• Family, friends & volunteers

Weeds, yield, and cowpeas…

Hopyard Map and Treatments Row # 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Growth Year 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 2 3 3 3 3

Cover Method A S A S A S A S mix A S A S

Irrigation Y N N Y Y N N Y Y N Y Y

# hills 71 71 57 57 57 57 14 14 43 57 57 57 57 669

Centennial Ct

50'

100' Nugget Ng Nugget Nugget

Cascade Centennial

50'

Willamette

50'

KEY:

A alfalfa

S straw

Y yes - will be irrigated

N no - will not be irrigated

Ct Centennial

Ng Nugget

Drip tape (inexpensive setup)

2011 Rainfall: (what a year to study irrigation…)

Mid-late April…Shoots!

Flowers: beauty is in the eye of the beholder…!

Cones!!! (Cascade)

4-year Nugget, ready to harvest

Harvest can be fun!...

…But, it’s A LOT of work!

…we need a harvester!

Marking 3rd-year Nugget for Yield Data

Irrigated Nugget bines (foreground)

Wet Mass per Bine, varieties pooled

Wet Mass per Bine, by Variety

Recall 2011 Rainfall

However, only 0.37” of rain fell

between 10 and 20 July

Yield Increase Factor

Extrapolated yield/acre (pounds)

Irrigation Costs ~ $193/acre/year

Net Financial Gain from Irrigation

Alfalfa made only minor increase in nitrates by first fall

Can rapeseed cover-cropping make a 1-year planting delay

worth it?

Year 1: with straw mulch

Year 1: no mulch or tilling

What we’ve learned (so far!)

• Irrigation significantly increased yield

• Irrigation is cost-effective (at current scale)

• Summer alfalfa as ‘green manure’ may actually reduce yield

• Straw is the best mulch (of what we’ve tried)

• Previously established perennial weeds hard to eliminate

Current cultivation strategy

Interrow

Intrarow

Current cultivation strategy

• Start with as weed-free intrarow as possible in early spring (grub, hand-tiller, new planting, etc.)

• Till interrow

• Apply lime, fertilizer, etc.

• Straw mulch intrarow when bine shoots are 6-12”

• Plant interrow with perennial (clover) or annual (e.g. rapeseed) as green manure and/or nitrogen source

• We would really like to know what others do!

Thanks to UVM! Thanks to Northeast Hops community!

Soil Test Differentials (Fall ‘10 Fall ‘11)